Electric signal for motor vehicles



June 13, 1939. A. B1 COTANT SIGNAL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES ELECTRIC FiledOct. 21,

INVENTOF.

ATTORNEY Patented June 13, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to electric signals for motor vehicles and hasfor an object to provide a signal arm which is moved to various adjustedpositions by a reversible motor so that the action is positive and doesnot depend upon gravity or manual operative means for lowering the armsince, when the motor is reversed, the arm is lowered by the power ofthe motor.

A further object is to provide a spring pressed fork for checking andstopping the rotor of the motor so that the signal arm will stop in thecorrect position and will not be carried past the desired position bythe momentum of the armature as the circuit is broken.

A further object of the invention is to provide a transformer forenergizing a neon lamp in the signal arm the transformer making itpossible to use low voltage current on the switch between the currentsupply and the neon tube.

A further object is to provide a signal device of this character whichis held in adjusted position by a worm shaft and worm wheel whichoperate the signal arm.

A further object is to provide a signal device of this character whichis electrically controlled and can be mounted at any place on a vehicleand controlled by a manually operable switch, the device being formed ofa few strong simple and durable parts, being inexpensive to manufacture,and not susceptible of easily getting out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a signal device constructedin accordance with the invention and showing the electrical wiringthereof diagrammatically.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the brushes.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the brake which stops rotationof the motor armature after each actuation.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, I designates a casingwhich may be attached to the side of a motor vehicle by screws I I, oneend of the casing being rounded as shown at l2. A shaft I3 is rotatablymounted in openings formed at the center of the sides of the roundedportion of the casing. The ends of the shaft are roughened, as shown inFigure 2, and the roughened ends project beyond the sides of the casing.The roughened ends of the shaft are rigidly secured to ears M whichproject from a hollow signal arm l5. Thus when the shaft is rotated thesignal arm is moved as a unit therewith.

A neon lamp I6 is mounted in the signal arm and the sides of the signalarm are cut away to form arrows l1 and these cut away portions may becovered with colored Cellophane or other transparent material ifdesired. Thus when the neon lamp is energized the arrows are illuminatedto attract attention to the signal lamp.

A worm wheel I8 is keyed to the shaft I3 and meshes with a worm IS on aworm shaft 20. The worm shaft forms part of the armature shaft of areversing motor, the poles 2| of which are U-shaped and are fixed to thecasing in any preferred manner. An armature 22 is rotatably mountedbetween the poles and carries the usual commutator 23 and brushes 24. Afield coil 25 is wound around the transverse member of the pole pieceand a second field coil 26 is wound upon the first field coil, and in adirection opposite to the winding of the first field coil. Thus whencurrent is supplied to one of the coils the armature will be rotated inone direction to drive the worm wheel I8 clockwise to move the signalarm I upwardly and when current is supplied to the other coil thearmature will be rotated in a retrograde direction to return the signalarm to neutral position, as best shown in Figure 1, after eachoperation.

A metal yoke 21 straddles the worm shaft 20 and is provided with hingeeyes 23 through which a pivot pin 29 is passed to pivotally connect theyoke to the sides of the casing. The yoke is provided with a dependinglug 30 which extends downwardly over one of the legs of the pole piece2| and is constantly pushed outwardly by a spring 3| so that the yokewill forcibly engage an insulating washer 32 on the armature 22 and stoprotation of the armature suddenly after each actuation. When the fieldcoils are energized the lug 30 is attracted by the pole piece so thatthe spring will be compressed and the yoke will be freed from engagementwith the washer 32 so that there will be no drag on the free rotation ofthe armature when current is supplied to either of the field coils.

An insulating disc 33 is keyed to the shaft I3 by the same key 34 whichkeys the worm wheel l8 to the shaft. The disc is provided with a flange35 on one side. An arcuate switch contact 36 is countersunk in the outerperiphery of the flange and extends for substantially an angulardistance of 180 degrees around the flange. A second arcuate switchcontact 31 is countersunk in the inner periphery of the flange andextends for a slightly greater angular distance around the flange thanthe switch contact 36.

Four switch contacts designated in general by the numerals 38, 39, toand 5| are secured to the side wall of the rounded portion of the easingat an angular distance of about 45 degrees apart as shown in Figure 1.Each contact comprises an angular arm 42 which is rigidly secured to andprojects from the side of the rounded portion H? of the casing, as bestshown in Figure 3. The arm terminates in a brush holder 43 in which abrush 44 is slidably fitted and is held pressed downward upon the outerswitch contact 36 by a leaf spring 45.

A pair of switch contacts designated in general by the numerals 46 andll, and similar to the switch contacts previously described, are mountedon the casing and engage the inner annular switch contact 31.

Mounted within convenient reach of the driver of the vehicle is a switchd8 having a movable contact arm 49 which is connected by a wire 59 toone terminal of the battery, the other terminal of the battery beinggrounded. The contact arm rotates in an arc of 360 degrees and may bemanually moved over the switch contacts as follows. A switch contact 5|is connected by a Wire 52 to the switch contact 39 on the insulatingdisc 33, the switch contact 39 corresponding to an intended left turn. Aswitch contact 53 is connected by a wire 54 to the switch contact 38 onthe insulating disc, which contact corresponds to an intended stop. Aswitch contact 55 is connected by a wire 56 to the switch contact 48 onthe insulating disc corresponding to an intended right turn. A switchcontact 57 is connected by a wire 53 to the switch contact 4'! which haswiping engagement with the inner arcuate switch contact 31 of theinsulating disc, the contact 57 controlling reversing of the motor toreturn the signal arm to reset position after each operation.

For controlling rotation of the motor to rotate the insulating disc 33clockwise, to swing the arm to its various signalling positions, a wire59 is connected to the switch contact 45 that also rides upon the innerarcuate switch contact 37 and is connected to the inner field coil 25. Awire is connected to the remaining switch contact 4| which rides uponthe outer arcuate switch contact 36 of the insulating disc and isconnected to the outer field coil 26.

When the rotary switch contact arm 49 is manually moved to engage theswitch contact 5|, for example, on the base 48 a circuit may be tracedfrom the battery through the wire 50, arm 48, contact 5!, wire 52,contact 39, outer arcuate contact 35, contact 4|, wire Ell, outer coil26 of the motor, and commutator to the ground. Thus the motor is startedand through the worm gear is and worm wheel 53 rotates the disc 35 andat the same time carries the signal arm 15 upwardly. During rotation ofthe disc clockwise the arcuate outer contact 38 will ride fromunderneath the contact 39 thereupon breaking the circuit through themotor. When the motor stops the arm is locked in position to indicate aleft turn, as indicated by the legend on Figure 1 and is lockedstationary in this position by the meshing worm pinion I9 and worm wheell8.

When the driver wishes to reset the arm after completing the left turnthe rotary switch arm 49 is moved into contact with the switch contact51 on the switch 43. Thereupon a circuit may be traced from the batterythrough the wire 5%, arm Mi, contact 5?, wire 58, contact 4?, innerarcuate contact 3i, contact '16, wire 59, inner field coil 25 of themotor, commutator of the motor to the ground. Thus the rotation of themotor will be reversed to simultaneously move the insulating disc andthe signal arm in a retrograde direction to reset position ready for thenext operation.

To make a right turn the driver moves the rotary contact arm 45 intoengagement with the contact on the switch 28. To indicate a stop thedriver moves the switch arm 4.8 into engagement with the switch contact53 on the switch #18. For the purpose of brevity the circuits, abovedescribed and clearly shown on the drawing, will not be now describedsince a description of the operation to indicate a left turn has beenfully described and will suihce for the right turn and the stopoperations.

In order that the neon lamp ll will be energized when the left, rightand stop signal circuits are selectively closed, three switch contacts6|, E2 and 83 are arranged on the switch 48 to align respectively withthe switch contacts 5|, 53 and 55 so that when the arm is swungselectively to engage any one of the latter named contacts it will alsoengage the associated inner switch contact. The inner switch contactsSI, 62 and 53 are connected in series by a wire 64 and a wire 65connects the wire (i with the primary wiring of an induction coil 66which is located in the casing Hi. swung to engage the left turn contact5|, for example, it will also engage the associated inner contact 6| toclose a circuit from the battery through the primary winding of theinduction coil. The secondary widing of the induction coil, or hightension side, is connected by a wire to one terminal of the neon lamp llwhile the other terminal of the lamp is grounded. In this manner eachtime the rotary contact arm 49 is adjusted to close a circuit throughthe motor to move the signal arm IE to an intended turn indicatingposition the neon lamp will be simultaneously energized to attractattention.

From the above description it is thought that the construction andoperation or" the invention will be fully understood without furtherexplanation.

What is claimed is:

In a signal device, a casing, a shaft projecting through the casing, asignal arm secured to the end of the shaft, a motor in the casing havinga shaft geared to the first named shaft, a pivoted brake having a forkedend straddling the motor shaft, an insulating washer on the motor shaftforming a friction disc against which the forked end of the brakeengages for stopping rotation of the motor, the motor having a fieldcore, a lug on the brake projecting across the field core, said lugforming an armature adapted to be attracted by the core when the motoris energized to disengage the forked end of the brake from the frictiondisc to permit the motor armature to rotate, and a spring engagedbetween the ing and the core and normally holding the forked end of thebrake engaged with the friction disc.

ALBERT B. COTANT.

When the arm 49 is

